Five agents at New Leaf Literary seek all kinds of fiction, including picture books, YA and adult novels, plus assorted nonfiction

Note: Don't ever miss a post on Quick Brown Fox. Fill in your email in the box to the right under my bio, and get each post delivered to your Inbox. ~ BrianNew Leaf Literaryis a young
agency, led byJoanna
Volpewho was
previously withNancy Coffey Literary. Joanna represents all
kinds of fiction, from picture books to adult, and like all five agents at New
Leaf, she's taking on new clients.

Joanna’s
picture book taste is the most eclectic, ranging from sweet to fun to smart to
quirky. For other fiction (both adult and children's) she has an affinity for
stories that have a darker element to them, whether they be horror, drama or
comedy. She's not the kind of reader that needs a romance in her novels, though
she does appreciate a good one.

On the nonfiction
side her tastes are much more specific. For children she looks for topics
that captivate kids: biographies, animal-related stories, all sciences and
history, etc. Joanna also has an affinity for morbid, weird or offbeat topics.
In her adult nonfiction tastes she tends toward all things geek-related, foodie
books, travel books, and general pop-culture and pop-science.

Include up to 5 double-spaced sample pages
within the body of the email. Please include "Query – Joanna Volpe"
in the subject. No attachments.

Pete Knapp, is the newest member of the team (having joined the agency July 6). As with all new agents, Pete is hungry for new
authors. He represents authors of middle grade and young adult fiction, as well
as fiction and select nonfiction for the adult market. Previously he was at the
Park Literary Group. Visit Pete’s website here.

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within the body of the email. Please include "Query - Pete Knapp" in
the subject. No attachments.

Kathleen Ortiz is the Director of Subsidiary rights, overseeing
audio, translation and digital rights for the agency's titles. She is also a
Literary Agent and is actively seeking to sign more authors and illustrators,
specifically fresh, new voices in YA and animator/illustrator talent. In YA she
gravitates more toward beautiful and exceptional world building as well as
contemporary stories whose main characters stay with the reader far beyond the
pages. She would love to see a beautifully written YA set within other cultures
and experiences.

On the illustration side, she loves
animator/illustrators and their unique way of storytelling.

Include up to 5 double-spaced sample pages
within the body of the email. Please include "Query – Kathleen Ortiz"
in the subject. No attachments.

Suzie Townsend is the agency’s
Director of Literary Services and is also a literary agent. She represents all
brands of children's and adult fiction. She is actively looking to build
her list. In adult, she's specifically looking for new adult, romance (all
subgenres), fantasy (urban fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, epic fantasy)
and crime fiction (mysteries, thrillers). In Childrens' she loves YA (all
subgenres) and is dying to find great Middle Grade projects.

Suzie loves
strong characters and voice driven stories that break out of the typical tropes
of their genres.

Include up to 5 double-spaced sample pages
within the body of the email. Please include "Query – Suzie Townsend"
in the subject. No attachments.

Mackenzie Brady Watson joined New
Leaf Literary as an agent in 2014. Previously, she'd been an agent at Charlotte
Sheedy Literary Agency and before that an intern at Farrar, Straus & Giroux
and FinePrint
Literary Management.

Mackenzie was a microbiologist in her
pre-publishing life, so she's always on the hunt for projects that bring new
facets of science to light. She is endlessly fascinated by the human body,
especially the heart. Her taste in nonfiction extends beyond science books to
memoirs, lost histories, epic sports narratives, and gift/lifestyle books.
She's looking for nonfiction for all ages. She is particularly interested
in projects with a strong narrative and a female bend.

If you've written the next Brain on Fire, The Power of Habit, Random Family, The Boys in the Boat,
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Autobiography of an Execution, or Young House Love, she wants to see
it.

On the fiction side, Mackenzie only represents
select upmarket commercial/literary adult and YA projects. Her favorite
novels range from philosophical and charming (read: The Submission, Station
Eleven, The Spectacular Now) to downright dark and gritty (read: The
Dinner, We Were Liars, We the Animals). She also represents illustrators
with or without book projects of their own.

But the best way to grow as a writer or to get your manuscript
ready for publication is with a weekly class. This fall,
Brian will offer a full line-up of six weekly courses for beginners through
advanced. See details of all six fall courseshereor individual courses…

Brian Henry has been a book editor, writer, and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He teaches creative writing at Ryerson University. He also leads weekly creative writing courses in Burlington, Mississauga, Oakville and Georgetown and conducts Saturday workshops throughout Ontario. His proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get published.